Old Orhei

Bell Tower of the Cave Monastery

New Monastery on Old Orhei Ridge

Orhei Vechi, or Old Orhei is where we headed next.  This is perhaps the most spectacular archeological site in Moldova.  It seems people as far back as prehistory decided this was a good place to settle.  We visited the small exhibit museum to see the items discovered here from various ages and people.  One of the important things here to see is a monastery carved into the side of the river canyon.  You see Zach in the first picture, looking into the individual cells of the monks inside the cave monastery.  Further down the ridge is a new monastery that has pleasant gardens and grounds to visit.  As we sat down on a rock for lunch we could look back at the new and old monasteries along the spine of the ridge.  The next shot is a traditional Moldovan village house that is a museum in itself.  We stayed overnight in this lovely area in the village of Trebujeni.  It's just over the hill from Orhei Vechi.   Zach was enjoying a walk around town when he ran into a duck convoy.  The white statues are a memorial to the soldiers of World War II and their names are listed on the red, yellow, and blue sign (Moldovan tri-color).  There's the village church.  And some local graffitti which reads "Moldovan, thus Romanian."  This is one of the political themes among some Moldovans who would like Moldova to be part of Romania.  We took a little stroll along the Raut River which runs just aside of the town.  I'm keeping in touch with my other Peace Corps volunteers via my cell phone.  The final picture is on the top of Old Orhei Ridge looking out at a vast rolling valley.